free planning tool
Wedding Checklist Generator
Enter your date and get a personalized wedding planning checklist — a month-by-month wedding planning timeline built from the 58 tasks real couples track in Eydn.
The master wedding timeline, explained
A wedding checklist isn't just a to-do list — it's a booking order. The sequence matters because each early decision constrains the ones after it: your budget caps what you can spend per vendor, your guest list determines which venues physically fit, and your venue fixes the date every other vendor has to be available for. That's why the first month of any wedding planning timeline is budget, guest list draft, and venue — in that order — no matter how far out your date is.
The next tier is the one-per-wedding vendors: photographer, caterer, DJ or band, and officiant. Each can only serve one wedding per date, so the best ones for peak Saturdays book out 10–12 months ahead — they're worth locking in the same season you book the venue. Florists, rentals, transportation, and hair and makeup follow in the 9–10 month window; they have more capacity per date, but the strongest teams still fill their calendars early. Our vendor marketplace guide covers where to actually find each of these — and who pays for placement on every major platform.
From about six months out, the work shifts from booking to deciding: attire orders and fittings, save-the-dates then invitations, the ceremony outline, menus, and music choices. The final two months are pure logistics — seating chart, day-of timeline, final counts, vendor confirmations, and the marriage license (which most states only issue within a window before your date, so it can't be done early).
Planning a wedding in 6 months (or less)
Short timelines don't drop tasks — they compress them. This generator scales every anchor proportionally: on a six-month runway, the “12 months before” tasks land now and the “6 months before” tasks land at three. In practice that means the first four to six weeks are intense — budget, guest list, venue, and all the one-per-date vendors — and then the rhythm settles into a normal timeline's back half.
Two things genuinely help on a compressed schedule. First, date flexibility: a Friday, Sunday, or off-season date opens venues and vendors that peak Saturdays can't offer on short notice. Second, deciding your budget before touring anything — with less time to comparison-shop, a firm number per category keeps a charming venue tour from quietly restructuring your whole plan. Set yours with the wedding budget calculator first, and size the guest list against it with the guest list cost estimator.
Where this checklist comes from
The 58tasks here aren't a marketing list — they're the actual task engine inside Eydn, the same definitions, categories, and month anchors the app schedules for every new wedding. The on-page preview shows the critical-path tasks; the emailed version includes everything, and the app tracks each task with a real due date computed from your wedding date, reminders included.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start planning my wedding?
Twelve months out is the standard runway — it's when venues, photographers, and caterers for popular dates are still available, and it's where a full wedding planning checklist starts. If you have less time, don't panic: the same tasks compress into shorter timelines, you'll just make decisions faster and have fewer options on the most-booked vendors.
What should I book first for a wedding?
Budget and guest list come first because everything else depends on them, then the venue — it fixes your date, your capacity, and a big share of your spend. Photographers, caterers, DJs and officiants book out next; the best ones for peak dates go 10–12 months ahead. Florists, rentals, hair and makeup follow in the 9–10 month window.
Can I plan a wedding in 6 months?
Yes — couples do it all the time. The task list doesn't shrink, it compresses: what's normally spread across a year happens in half the time, with the booking tasks front-loaded into the first month or two. Flexibility helps most on venue and date; a Friday or Sunday in the same season often opens up vendors a Saturday can't.
What's on a wedding planning checklist?
The full list runs 58 tasks: setting the budget and guest list, booking the venue and your core vendors (photographer, caterer, music, officiant), attire and beauty, save-the-dates and invitations, the ceremony and reception plans, the marriage license, and the week-of logistics like the rehearsal and final vendor confirmations — plus thank-you cards after.
How does this checklist generator work?
It uses the same task engine that powers Eydn's in-app timeline — every task, anchor month, and category comes from the list the app tracks for real weddings, not a hand-written blog checklist. Enter your date and each task lands in the calendar month it's due; timelines shorter than twelve months compress proportionally so everything still fits before your day.
Want due dates, reminders, and a place to actually check these off? Eydn tracks all 58 tasks against your real date — start your 14-day free trial.